Third Week in March
On March 23, 1959, the San Francisco Giants cleared space for future Hall of Famers Orlando Cepeda and Willie McCovey by trading veteran first baseman Bill White to the St. Louis Cardinals as part of a four-player deal. In 1958, Cepeda had won the National League's Rookie of the Year Award by batting .312 with 25 home runs and 96 RBIs. The "Baby Bull" would remain with San Francisco until the middle of the 1966 season, when the Giants decided to make McCovey their everyday first baseman. Cepeda moved on to the St. Louis Cardinals, helping the Redbirds to a world championship in 1967. McCovey, a top prospect in San Francisco's farm system, would take advantage of White's absence and make an impressive Major League debut in 1959, hitting .354 in 192 at-bats. Although "Stretch" later spent short stints with the San Diego Padres and Oakland A's, he ended up playing in parts of four different decades with San Francisco. Totaling 521 career home runs, McCovey retired after the 1980 season, when he wore the Giants home jersey depicted here.